


counting days

by Areiton



Series: Tony Stark Bingo [9]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: DUM-E POV, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Non-Linear Narrative, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark and his robot children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 14:34:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18802285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areiton/pseuds/Areiton
Summary: Sir leaves.He leaves, but he comes back.Always.Tony Stark Bingo: A2





	counting days

There’s a ball. 

It’s rubber and grippy, and marked up by his claw, but it’s his favorite, and it stays down in the workshop. 

Sir trips over it sometimes, but wherever the workshop is, wherever his docking station is, the ball is nearby, rolling around between him and U. 

U--he swivels, clicks questioningly at his sibling, but the other doesn’t respond. Butterfingers doesn’t either. 

He beeps sadly and swivels to stare at the door. 

It has been twenty four days, since it opened. 

  


~*~

  


Sir didn’t like to play with the ball when other people were around. He’d ignore it, ignore DUM-E and his siblings, except to scold. U didn’t like it--but DUM-E knew Sir, knew him better than the others, better than FRIDAY in her formless state. 

Sir didn’t trust people. He trusted Honeybear, and he trusted Ms. Potts. 

But the others--they came and went, and they hurt the bots, sometimes, despite DUM-E’s protests and JARVIS’ alarms and defensive measures. 

DUM-E has a scrape down the side of his strut from the Sunset Woman that Sir trusted. 

He stopped playing with them and the balls, after that, if other people were around. 

But he brought them toys, brought DUM-E his dunce hat, and when the shop was empty and the windows blacked out and FRIDAY said, “All clear, Boss,” 

Then he’d smile, gentle gentle gentle, and DUM-E would beep in excitement and they would play with his ball until his battery ran low. 

  


~*~

  


Sir never played with him and the ball, when the Spider visited. But he always watched, smile gentle gentle gentle, and never once told Spider to go back to work, not until his battery ran low and Spider tucked him carefully into his docking station and set the ball next to him and trotted back to Sir’s side. 

“He’s a good boy,” Spider said. 

Sir looked at him, and his eyes were bright and proud and DUM-E preened. 

  


~*~

  


Sir leaves. When they lived in the Ocean House, he left all the time, and the bots would amuse themselves, roll their balls across the floor and DUM-E would blend and blend and blend, listening to JARVIS telling him  _ how.  _

But Sir always came home, always called out, “Wake up, Daddy’s home.” 

And he’d smile, gentle gentle gentle, as they crowded him, and his hands were careful as he repaired their struts and wheels and wires. 

He always came home. 

  


~*~

  


The door has been dark and the shop empty, for fifty six days. 

  


~*~

  


Sir came home with a glowing heart, and tired eyes and almost died, and he  _ didn’t _ . So they didn’t. The Ocean House fell into the ocean, and the bots were mangled, DUM-E’s struts torn and arm bent, and he saw Sir, saw the anguish and sorrow on his face, and beeped, reassuring. 

“I’ll fix you,” he promised. “I swear it, boy. I’ll fix you.” 

He did. He did and they lived in a Tower, and there were new balls, bright and shiny and  _ his _ , the one of hard rubber, grippy and marked by his claw, and Sir always threw it so it bounced and skittered into the best places while DUM-E chased it, clicking happily. 

He was happy and Sir’s smile was gentle, gentle, gentle. 

  


~*~

  


The workshop is covered in a film of dust. It has been one hundred eight days. 

  


~*~

  


Sir leaves. 

He leaves, but he comes back. 

Always. 

He comes back thin, frail, hands shaking and DUM-E is gentle gentle gentle as he nudges against him and U drapes a blanket over his shoulders and Sir cries, there in the shop, his wrecked pleas kept safe and hidden by the bots. 

  


~*~

  


They have a new workshop. 

The Lake House. Ms. Potts smiles at them when she steps into the workshop, her belly big and her eyes warm and DUM-E beeps and brings her a smoothie. Sir scolds him, but he’s smiling, smiling, and his hands aren’t shaking, and he leans into her.

He clicks, happily, and turns to find U and his ball. 

  


~*~

  


It has been one hundred seventy nine days. 

  


~*~

  


Sir holds a bundle in his arms and U beeps, low and awed. DUM-E nudges it with his claw, careful, careful, careful and FRIDAY says, almost breathless, “Boss, she’s beautiful.” 

“Whaddya think, DUM-E?” Sir murmurs, looking at him. “Like your baby sister?” 

DUM-E beeps, quiet but pleased and Morgan Stark stirs in her soft soft blankets. 

  


~*~

  


It has been two hundred days. 

  


~*~

  


Sir is shaking. His hands are trembling and his eyes are sad, and he sits on the couch in the workshop where Morgan likes to sit and throw the ball and his eyes are tired. 

DUM-E trundles up to him and beeps, curious and concerned. 

“I can bring him back, boy. I can bring--all of them. It would be selfish not to, wouldn’t it? To stay here, safe?” 

His eyes are wet and DUM-E beeps, distressed. Sir leaves. He leaves, and he always comes back--but he doesn’t  _ want _ Sir to leave. 

He pinches his coat and tugs. Sir smiles. Gentle gentle gentle. 

“Be good, boy,” he says. 

  


~*~

  


Sir leaves. 

  


~*~

  


It has been three hundred and seventeen days.

  


~*~

  


DUM-E waits. 

  



End file.
